Groundbreaking Data Shows Cities That Take Action to Combat Climate Change Are Seeing Both Economic and Health Benefits

C40 Chair, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has often said: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” New data that measures climate actions in cities — released today by CDP in partnership with the C40 — confirms there are concrete economic and health benefits for those cities taking actions to manage their risks.

The two organizations presented a set of three companion publications based on new climate change data from 110 global cities, including 53 C40 Cities, measuring and reporting their emissions, risks, and mitigation and adaptation actions:

Wealthier, Healthier Cities confirms that climate change actions are driving economic growth and increasing the quality of life and human health in urban areas;

A Summary Report provides a global snapshot of the activities, challenges and opportunities facing cities as a result of climate change;

A dynamic and engaging infographic to make the data accessible to a broad audience.

Of the reports’ findings, Conor Riffle, head of CDP’s cities program says:

“Cities are hotbeds of innovation, and local governments have been quick to implement many new ways to combat and adapt to climate change and resource scarcity. These leading cities are enjoying multiple paybacks for their economies and communities. National governments should pay close attention.”

Rohit T. Aggarwala, Special Advisor to the C40 Chair says:

“Mayors are dealing head-on with the need to safeguard their populations, infrastructure and economies from the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. By reporting on their progress C40 Cities are holding themselves and each other accountable for meeting the targets they set, and continuing to demonstrate unprecedented, global leadership in taking real, measurable actions.”

Nearly every city in the C40 network has participated in CDP’s 2013 program, with many of them leading the way in reporting to CDP for a third consecutive year. C40-specific analysis will be published in the coming months and will show that by acting locally the C40 is having a significant impact globally in tackling the challenges the planet faces from climate change.

The lead report, Wealthier, Healthier Cities, will be discussed by expert panelists at a launch event broadcast live from London at 17:30 local time via Webcast, as well as recorded for later viewing.

Meet the Author

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a network of large and engaged cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. Recognizing that cities consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions, our organization’s global field staff works with city governments, supported by our technical experts across a range of program areas to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world. The current chair of the C40 is Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, and 108th Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg is President of the Board. The Steering Committee includes: Berlin, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Houston, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul and Tokyo.

Post Navigation

Related Posts

About the Blog

Researchers, conservationists, and others share stories, insights and ideas about Our Changing Planet, Wildlife & Wild Spaces, and The Human Journey. More than 50,000 comments have been added to 10,000 posts. Explore the list alongside to dive deeper into some of the most popular categories of the National Geographic Society’s conversation platform Voices.

Opinions are those of the blogger and/or the blogger’s organization, and not necessarily those of the National Geographic Society. Posters of blogs and comments are required to observe National Geographic’s community rules and other terms of service.

@NatGeoExplorers

“There are only a handful of cheetahs left in Ethiopia, and probably no more than 300 in the Horn of Africa,” said Sarah Durant, a senior fellow at @OfficialZSL. https://t.co/h5w1qh88ra #IntlCheetahDay

TODAY ONLY: Don't miss this opportunity to have your gift amount matched 2x! Until midnight tonight, all gifts will go twice as far to support our work to protect lions, elephants and other threatened species around the planet. #GivingTuesday https://t.co/rIi39FqirJ

What are you thankful for? We're thanking our National Geographic Explorers for working to save threatened wildlife, protect wild places, and make the world a better place for all of us who call it home. Join us: https://t.co/3VILOGOAr4